Joyce S. Dubensky

As the Tanenbaum Center’s CEO, Joyce Dubensky has directed significant programmatic expansion, adding new initiatives to each of Tanenbaum’s four core programs: Religion and Diversity Education, Religious Diversity in the Workplace, Religious Diversity in Health Care and Religion and Conflict Resolution. Ms. Dubensky’s dynamic leadership has transformed Tanenbaum from a well-regarded U.S. institution to an internationally recognized thought leader.

Ms. Dubensky has overseen the publication of many firsts: the first comprehensive toolkit on religious diversity for workplace managers (Religion in the Workplace: A Traveler’s Guide to Navigating the Complex Landscape), the first comprehensive resource for providing quality care in a diverse healthcare setting (The Medical Manual for Religio-Cultural Competency) and the first book collecting the compelling life stories and teachings of the grassroots religious peacemakers identified by Tanenbaum’s Religion & Conflict Resolution program (Peacemakers in Action: Profiles of Religion in Conflict Resolution). Each of these publications represents a new contribution to the burgeoning field of interreligious understanding.

Internationally in demand as a speaker and trainer, Ms. Dubensky speaks, trains and conducts workshops on all Tanenbaum programs including at the Alliance of Civilizations, International Academy of Practical Theology, Merck, the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and the Sixth National Conference on Quality Care for Diverse Populations.

Before joining Tanenbaum, Ms. Dubensky was with the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), an inter-group relations organization founded in 1927 as the National Conference of Christians and Jews, where she was the national Director of Communications and, later, the Deputy Executive Director of a regional office.

As an attorney, Ms. Dubensky served as a National Consultant for the Council of Jewish Federations (now United Jewish Communities). She also created the Legal Department at the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York and served as its General Counsel for over ten years. There, she co-chaired the organization’s task force on diversity issues, and worked to develop and implement successful governance, fund development and advocacy strategies. Ms. Dubensky began her legal career with the law firm of Botein Hays Sklar and Herzberg, following her years as a foster care caseworker with the New York Foundling Hospital.

Ms. Dubensky holds her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she graduated with honors, and has a Master’s degree in American History from Adelphi University. Currently, she serves on the Board of Advisors for the Center Against Violence in the Family.

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